Better than before
by Setsuna-X
Summary: Spoilers for volumes 6 and up. Koutarou and Tatsuki are getting their lives back together, but like always, it's a little messy. Hopefully they can work some things out – with some better results. Shonen-ai Tatsuki x Koutarou
1. Reconciling

**Title:** Better than Before  
**Author:** Setsuna-X

**Summary:** Spoilers for volumes 6+. Koutarou and Tatsuki are getting their lives back together, but like always, it's a little messy. Hopefully they can work some things out – with some better results.

**Pairing:** Shonen-ai Tatsuki x Koutarou

**Notes:** Just as a field of reference, this takes place before the last book. Both Koutarou and Tatsuki still have their powers. Koutari is in jail and their grandfather has passed away. Koutarou has his healing powers, and Tatsuki can still throw people around in fits of anger/strong emotions.

* * *

**Chapter One: Reconciling **

It was weird that after everything that happened, things just became …normal ..mundane.

After a whole year of mis-adventure with gangs and fights and psychics, the calm was eerie.

After much deliberation and talks, both Koutarou's and Tatsuki's parents decided that leaving the boys in their current house would be fine. They were old enough to take care of themselves and each other. It would just not be right to take them out of school and make them transfer again.

Thus the parents left, back to their respective homes and jobs while the boys lived alone.

'Is it just me or is the house too quiet,' thought Koutarou as he wandered around the building, making his way to the kitchen.

He hadn't really thought about it, but now that their Grandpa was gone someone had to do the shopping, cleaning, and cooking – and it sure as hell wasn't going to be just him!

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Koutarou forgot about his trek to the kitchen and made a beeline for Tatsuki's room instead.

Silently fuming, but forcing himself to calm down, Koutarou knocked on the closed bedroom door.

He waited there for what seemed like ages when the door finally opened.

"What?" Tatsuki snarled. He was clothed in his pajamas, possibly already getting into bed.

Koutarou could feel his anger escaping.

"Geez, no need to be so rude! I just wanted to talk! But if you're going to be an asshole about it, then forget it!" shouted Koutarou as he started to turn away.

Tatsuki reached out and grabbed his arm. "Fine, then talk. What is it?"

Koutarou was surprised. It wasn't often that Tatsuki touched him, and it was even rarer that Tatsuki wanted to talk. That alone helped calm Koutarou's nerves.

"Look, can I come in?"

Tatsuki seemed to think for a moment, clearly conflicted, but in the end he dropped his hand from around Koutarou's arm and went back into his room, leaving the door open as a clear invitation.

Koutarou warily walked in. He could count on one hand just how many times he's stepped into this room. He quickly found his way to Tatsuki's desk chair while Tatsuki sat on his bed.

Tatsuki just looked at Koutarou expectantly.

"So, how have you been?" asked Koutarou meekly. Tatsuki just glared in return.

"Gah! Fine asshole! Man, I can't even have a decent conversation with you! I don't know how we're gonna manage to live together!" shouted Koutarou to the door, unwilling to look at Tatsuki. He was a little hurt that after everything Tatsuki was still being a jerk and seemed to hate him.

"What's this about living together?" finally spoke Tatsuki.

At the sound, Koutarou whipped his head around. "Whaa?"

"I said, what about living together?"

Koutarou, still surprised, fumbled with his words a little bit.

"Well, now that Grandpa is gone.." Koutarou stopped for a while, taking a deep breath. "Now that he's gone, and that our parents are letting us live here, it seems like we're going to have to be in charge of the food and cleaning. I wanted to see if we could work something out together."

Tatsuki clearly didn't know what to say. He had just figured that they would go out to eat every night and keep their parts of the house clean. But the more he thought about it, the more that didn't make much sense. What about the other rooms in the house that they both used, like the bathroom and kitchen? And eating out all the time would become pricey and it definitely wasn't healthy. Maybe Koutarou did have a point.

Koutarou waited silently for his cousin to respond. Tatsuki seemed deep in thought as he stared at the blanket on his bed.

"I suppose that makes sense," Tatsuki said at last.

"Hey! Of course it makes sense! You don't have to make it sound like I don't have good ideas or anything!"

Tatsuki just continued on staring at Koutarou until the blonde finally conceded. "Ok fine, not all my ideas are the best…but anyway! So how do you want to go about this?"

* * *

They stayed in Tatsuki's room for another hour, arguing and debating what the best way would be. They figured they would both take turns buying the groceries. Whoever paid for them for the week didn't have to cook. They would try to cook something at least 4 days a week, the other days they would probably go out our get take out and eat at home.

As far as cleaning went, they would each keep their own space clean. Koutarou also had to take care of the kitchen and living room, while Tatsuki had the bathroom and lawn outside.

Once done with the conversation, Koutarou got up to leave.

"Glad we were able to work that out. So, um, good night I guess," he said standing up and making his way to the door.

Before he could close it, Koutarou heard a soft, "Night."

Once Koutarou left his bedroom Tatsuki flopped back onto the mattress. If living with Koutarou before was hard enough, living with him now without his grandfather as a buffer was going to make it harder. Tatsuki held no illusions that Koutarou liked him. Heck, with the way he treated the kid it was a surprise that he still wanted to talk to him.

Because of the power Koutarou gave him, Tatsuki was always scared to get close – scared to touch. It made things hard, but he just wanted to protect Koutarou and protect himself if he could.

Tatsuki never really wanted to analyze why he cared about Koutarou so much. It always made his head and heart hurt.

There was just something about his cousin the drove him in a primal way.

If Koutarou was hurt, he would damn near kill anyone who hurt him. It was frightening in a way that was also exhilarating. It was like a love so fierce that he would hurt anyone who harmed his cousin. But why?!

It didn't make any sense. He knew he liked his cousin. Just, the way they grew up – innocent and free without a care in the world; that's what he liked about Koutarou. Despite his temper and harsh words, Koutarou was still sweet and innocent and Tatsuki wanted to keep him that way.

That was why whenever something bad happed Tatsuki would take it upon himself to help out – to be the shield and sword to Koutarou. He wanted to spare Koutarou any of that pain in order to keep him clean, even if Tatsuki's own hands had to get dirty.

Yet, even that reasoning didn't make much sense. Why should he care so much that Koutarou maintain that innocence? What was in it for him? If anything, all his suffering came from Koutarou. First the ESP as a post-cog, and ever since moving to Tokyo he's gotten stabbed, choked, punched, and been to the hospital X amount of times all for his cousin.

It just didn't make sense!

But that was just it, wasn't it? The ESP, their weird connection, nothing about them made sense.

With that thought in mind, Tatsuki exhausted himself to sleep.

_TBC_


	2. Slowly Moving Forward

**"Better than Before"**

**Notes:** Just as a field of reference, this takes place before the last book. Both Koutarou and Tatsuki still have their powers. Koutari is in jail and their grandfather has passed away. Koutarou has his healing powers, and Tatsuki can still throw people around in fits of anger/strong emotions.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Slowly Moving Forward**

The next day the two cousins made their way to school.

"Hey Koutarou," cheered Mio as she approached the blonde.

"Mio, good morning!" cheerfully replied Koutarou.

"You seem to be doing fine."

"Yeah, Tatsuki and I were able to work some things out last night," laughed Koutarou as he rubbed the back of his head. He was so happy that Tatsuki actually spoke to him. It felt like they really were cousins like before. He had to admit that he missed the old Tak-kun sometimes, but this new Tatsuki wasn't so bad.

Mio was surprised. She was sure that Koutarou was the happiest when he was either playing basketball or on a date with her, but one mention about talking to Tatsuki put on the brightest smile on Koutarou's face that she had ever seen.

She had to admit that she was a little jealous and tried to crush down the feeling. She should be happy that Koutarou and Tatsuki were finally getting along – those two confused and worried her.

* * *

After class Koutarou had to stay for basketball practice. Usually Mio stuck around but she had to do some shopping for her parents before heading home. It was alright, because even without Mio Koutarou still had his cheer team – Yuuto, Karen and Tatsuki all stuck around. Before practice could start Koutarou was attacked by Yuuto.

"Ah, my darling, beautiful friend, may you triumph once again during your practice! We are all cheering for you!"

"Gah, Yuuto! Let go!" shouted Koutarou as he tried to escape his friends' clutch. Karen just took out her camera and was taking random shots of the boys and basketball team.

"We should do some shopping tonight," interrupted Tatsuki.

Everyone just froze and stared at him. Annoyed, Tatsuki just glared.

"Whoa, what's this about shopping?" teased Yuuto, giving both Koutarou and Tatsuki sly glances. Karen took this moment to start taking pictures of her favorite people.

Koutarou inadvertently blushed. "Nothing! It's just, we need to start taking care of ourselves since grandpa's not around," ended Koutarou sadly.

Yuuto stopped joking around for a bit and stared at both other boys, analyzing their auras.

Tatsuki seemed a bit sad and worried, probably about Koutarou, but underneath that he seemed a bit pleased.

'Lookie that,' thought Yuuto, 'looks like our crazy Tatsuki is actually excited to hang out with Koutarou. That doesn't happen often.' Taking a glance at Koutarou he could see that same aura.

'Finally I can stop babysitting these two guys so much,' he continued to think. It looked like they were both going to start getting along. It was sad that a tragedy had to bring them together, but at least something good came out of it after all.

* * *

After practice Koutarou met with Yuuto and Tatsuki. Karen had left earlier, claiming she had to capture some amazing shots in the Shibuya district.

"Ready to go?" cheerfully asked Koutarou. Tatsuki just looked at him, jerked his head toward his bike and began walking.

"You could at least answer me instead of prompting me like some dog!" shouted Koutarou. 'Just what is it about Tatsuki that annoys me so much? It's like he knows just what buttons to press,' thought the blonde to himself.

"Wait, so am I not invited?" asked Yuuto as he looked on at the exchange.

"It won't be too exciting, Yuuto. We're only getting groceries," replied Koutarou. "But if you want to come, I guess you can tag along."

Yuuto took that chance to glance at Tatsuki's aura. 'Whoa, look at that,' thought Yuuto, 'looks like protective Tatsuki doesn't want me to tag along. Is that disappointment I see? Does he just want to spend some time with cute little Koutarou? Well, who am I to deny him that simple pleasure.'

"I'm just joking Koutarou. Of course I don't want to shop for groceries, especially since I could be using that time to get me some ladies," Yuuto said slyly as he snuck another tight hug.

"Ugh, go away you horn-dog," said Koutarou as he squirmed away. "Fine, I'll see you tomorrow at school then."

Yuuto let the blonde go and waved them off.

'This looks like the start of something beautiful,' thought Yuuto with a smile as he made his way to his own parked bike.

* * *

_TBC_


	3. Fun While it Lasted

**Chapter 3: Fun while it lasted**

"I'll be paying this time," said Tatsuki as soon as Koutarou made his way over.

Koutarou was surprised that Tatsuki even acknowledged his existence.

"Uh, sure that's fine. Guess I'll be cooking. You better not complain too much though! I don't know how to make too many things."

"Hn. Figures," responded Tatsuki condescendingly.

"What was that asshole?!" shouted Koutarou. "Whatever, you knew what you were getting into last night," sighed Koutarou as he half-heartedly glared at his cousin.

Tatsuki just stared at him, forcefully hiding a grin.

And wasn't that a weird sensation? It was so weird to feel anything other than fear, confusion, and anger toward his cousin. However, suddenly he just felt … lighter.

'What was that all about?' thought Tatsuki. 'Did I almost just smile? Why do I feel so warm inside? I can't believe I'm actually teasing Koutarou and am having fun while doing it. What is he doing to me?'

Tatsuki's thoughts were racing, but there wasn't really much time to find the answers to all his questions.

"We going or what?" impatiently asked Koutarou.

Tatsuki noticed that he had spaced out so he glared at his smaller cousin for good measure.

"Come on," he said as he boarded the bike. Koutarou quickly clamored on, holding onto Tatsuki's waist with both hands after putting on the spare helmet.

Tatsuki had decided to buy it after that impromptu cop chase that Koutari sent them on, and especially after their grandfather's death. There was no way Tatsuki was going to take any more chances.

It was weird having Koutarou's small arms around him. And it was also nice. Yet that was the thought that scared him. Where were these feelings coming from? He knew he cared about his cousin. Heck, half his scars came from protecting the blonde, but since when did his caring for his cousin change from something so dark to something so light. It was like a switch. He still cared for the naïve Koutarou, but instead of it being so wrapped up in his anger and fear, now his feelings seemed more...soft. They were more relatable to warmth. It really made no sense. He couldn't wait until the shopping was over so he could hide in his room for several hours away from the one person who always caused such conflicting feelings.

Koutarou wasn't handling it much better. Usually he would get so mad at Tatsuki for every little statement, but lately Koutarou had been taking a small step back and not letting it get to him so much. After hurdling an insult he would usually storm away until Yuuto would convince him to talk or thank Tatsuki. Yet now he was able to ignore some of the hurt he usually felt. It was easier since it seemed that Tatsuki didn't really mean it all that much. It all sounded more like teasing than insulting.

It was nice.

It had been so long since he felt at ease with his cousin, but more and more they seemed to be breaking down the walls that went around them. It looked like his beloved Tak-kun was still buried within this current Tatsuki, and that thought made Koutarou smile.

As they rode to the store Koutarou couldn't help but think how it had been a while since he had felt this sort of calm. Although being with Mio and Yuuto was fun and nice, he was always anxious about Tatsuki. Now that Tatsuki was acting more..human..he could finally feel completely relaxed. Koutarou understood that there was still some work to be done, but he had hope that they would work through it.

* * *

Once at the grocery store things seemed relatively tranquil. Koutarou was left pushing the cart while Tatsuki decided what he wanted to buy, keeping simple recipes in mind since he wasn't that much of a cook either. Tatsuki also tried to limit how much they bought as well since his bike didn't have that much storage space.

Their little shopping excursion was much more placid than either one of them had thought. Although there were a few arguments here and there, especially when Koutarou tried to sneak something in, the rest of their shopping went well. Tatsuki could almost say that he enjoyed himself, and part of him could not wait until they ran out of food so they would have to go grocery shopping again. It was an odd thought, this want to be with Koutarou more. Tatsuki seemed more at ease with his cousin than before. It gave him hope and frightened him at the same time. It finally seemed like he could start forgiving Koutarou for his unintentional development into his power. They might be able to regain the carefree relationship they had once ago. Tatsuki wasn't sure if that was the right thing to aim for or not, but in the meantime he vowed to give him and Koutarou a chance.

Koutarou was having similar thoughts. Shopping with Tatsuki had been surprisingly fun and pleasant. Sure, he yelled at his dumb cousin, and Tatsuki would make snide comments here or there, but overall it felt like they were a family again. He hadn't felt that way since moving to Tokyo and his own cousin greeted him by shaking his hand whilst covered in a handkerchief. Koutarou looked forward to seeing their relationship progress.

* * *

After purchasing their groceries both boys made their way to where the bike was parked. They had four bags between the both of them.

As they approached their parking spot they noticed a bunch of rough guys surrounding it. At first they didn't really think anything of it, but as they neared they noticed that the guys were not leaving. In fact, they turned to stare at them menacingly.

"Lookie what we got here boys," jeered the leader of the group, "We got ourselves a pathetic kitty cat and its pet mouse."

Being called 'mouse' again really struck a nerve for both Koutarou and Tatsuki. It was all too familiar from that guy that almost choked Koutarou to death with a karaoke microphone cord. If it hadn't been for Tatsuki, who had forced himself out of the hospital, Koutarou would be dead. It was a scary thought and the fact that these guys were looking for trouble did not help.

Tatsuki remained silent and just glared at the group. There were 4 of them and they all looked older, maybe high school seniors. The leader was at least three inches taller than Tatsuki, with a mean grin and dark eyes. The other three goons didn't look that much different. They all wore dark clothes and had eyes made for a predator.

The situation didn't look too good.

"Look, we don't want any trouble, we just want to get home," said Koutarou, acting braver than he actually felt.

Tatsuki shifted his body, making sure he was standing in front of Koutarou. He didn't necessarily want to get in a fight, but he would protect Koutarou no matter what.

"Well maybe we want some trouble," teased the leader as the other boys grinned evilly.

"Please, just move aside," said Koutarou as he stepped closer to the parked bike and goons.

One of the boys rushed forward and shoved Koutarou harshly onto the ground, the bags of groceries falling with him.

Koutarou landed with a small 'oof', the wind slightly knocked out of him at the unexpected assault. He scrambled to gather the fallen items and placed them back in the bag. He could hear the bullies snickering at him.

"Hold on to these," said Tatsuki as he dropped the two remaining bags on the floor near Koutarou.

"What's this? Little kitty wants to play? Is he mad that we pushed his mousey boyfriend around?" teased the leader again as he loomed closer to Tatsuki.

Tatsuki didn't say anything, just dashed forward and landed a hard punch to the leaders face. The leader fell to the ground and groaned. He was definitely going to be sporting a black eye tomorrow. Everyone was stunned for a moment, confused that the little runt actually landed a hit and that it was powerful enough to send their leader sprawling.

Two of the goons weren't so sure about messing with the kid, but the leader just got back up and was angrier than ever. The last boy was just itching for a fight and was getting excited at the prospect of a decent workout.

Koutarou had already scrambled to his feet, holding onto all four grocery bags. He hated that Tatsuki thought he had to be defended. He could fight too! Yet Koutarou had to admit that he wasn't the best in hand-to-hand combat, and that he always just managed to make the situation worse. He hated to even admit that to himself, but he didn't want to get in the way and have Tatsuki end up in bad shape because of him.

It was moments like these that Koutarou wished he had a cell phone instead of just a beeper. It would be so much easier if he could just call Yuuto as back up.

'Why does this always happen to me?' thought Koutarou to himself.

_TBC_


	4. What goes around, comes around

**Chapter Four: What goes around, comes around**

* * *

The leader of the gang got up from the ground. He had underestimated these two brats, but not anymore. Although it did look like the mouse was going to be an easy target, he knew that dark haired kid wouldn't go down easy. The dirty blonde leaned up against his friend. "You're gonna pay for that, kitty cat." The leader's friend let out a gruff laugh. "Looks like that kitty had claws," he commented unoriginally.

Tatsuki could really care less what people said about him, he just wanted to make it out of this situation as unscathed as possible. He also wanted to make sure that nothing happened to Koutarou. Tatsuki prepped himself, ready to dodge and fight back if necessary.

"We're going to get you good, kitty cat," teased the leader once more. The three other boys made a rugged circle around Koutarou and Tatsuki, trying to close off any gaps so they wouldn't run.

Koutarou let the grocery bags down on the floor. It was always better to have his hands free.

At some silent signal all the boys rushed Koutarou and Tatsuki. Tatsuki was trying to defend himself as well and watch out for Koutarou, making it harder to fight back. Before he could do anything the leader and his right hand man jumped him. The right hand man threw a punch at Tatsuki's face while the leader laughed and kicked him in the back.

The other two goons looked a bit reluctant but they knew that they had to help out. They each grabbed one of Koutarou's arms. They didn't really want to hurt the kid, but the least they could do is let their leader and friend have fun with the black haired one.

"Tatsuki!" yelled out Koutarou, afraid that his cousin had gotten seriously hurt.

Tatsuki managed to keep his balance. There was a small trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth and he wiped it away with his sleeve. The glare he gave the two goons was downright murderous.

Tatsuki spared a glance to make sure that Koutarou was okay. So far it looked as if they had no intention of hurting him, which worked in his favor. Tatsuki made sure to keep an eye on the leader and his friend, not wanting them to land any more hits.

It was then that Tatsuki noticed the leader take out a switch blade.

"Tatsuki!" cried out Koutarou again as he struggled to escape from his captors hold.

Tatsuki glanced back once more, just to let Koutarou know that he was okay, and resumed his staring contest with the leader.

It was odd, giving Koutarou reassurance. Usually he would just do what needed to get done, not caring whether Koutarou was okay with it or not, but now he wanted to put his cousin's mind at ease. It was once again a new thing he had to adjust to.

"You sure you should be looking away, little kitty?" teased the leader once more. The right hand man circled behind Tatsuki, trapping him once more.

Before Tatsuki could attack, the leader jumped forward with the knife outstretched before him, attempting to stab any area in Tatsuki's body. A second before contact, Tatsuki managed to dodge and land in another punch to the face, making the leader stumble back. Without missing a beat the other guy grabbed Tatsuki from behind. Tatsuki squirmed and fought to get out of the hold, but it wasn't working.

Things weren't looking too good.

"Oh, at first I was just going to play with you boys, but now you've really pissed me off," intoned the leader in an angry snarl. The knife lay on the floor, temporarily forgotten now that his prey was captured. He slowly approached Tatsuki, savoring his struggles.

Once Tatsuki noticed, he stood still, trying to see if he could catch them unawares. The leader came closer, swaggering into Tatsuki's space.

"Let's see how you like this," he said as he pulled his fist back and landed a strong blow into Tatsuki's stomach.

Tatsuki's body naturally wanted to curl into itself in order to minimize the pain, but since he was being restrained his body was forced to straighten back up.

"Ha, looks like the kitty cat has no claws now."

Tatsuki then tried to struggle out the hold once more to no avail. He could hear Koutarou in the background calling his name. He knew that his cousin was trying to escape, but he was being held by two bigger, older guys – there was no way he was getting help from him.

The leader didn't much care for Tatsuki's efforts at escaping. Punch after punch rained down upon Tatsuki's body. A couple landed on his face, making his nose and lip start bleeding. A few more were directed at his stomach, making his insides hurt and his ribs protest against the onslaught.

Soon enough he was barely conscious and they let him fall to the ground harshly. Tatsuki barely managed to catch himself on his hands before lying on the ground. Everything hurt and there was nothing he could do. He just wanted to go to sleep. However, he needed to make sure that they would leave Koutarou alone, but with no such luck.

Once he managed to turn his head, he could see that the leader approached his cousin, and the knife was back in his hand. Tatsuki panicked. How was it that he was never able to protect Koutarou? Sure he had helped out the boy and rescued him, but he had never been able to prevent anything from happening to the smaller blonde. It was with a body-weary resignation that Tatsuki watched the scene unfold.

* * *

Koutarou was beyond frightened. He didn't know if his cousin was even alive at this point. All he had seen was Tatsuki get the shit kicked out of him. It was so unfair! Why did Tatsuki always have to get hurt? And why couldn't he ever do anything to help? It was maddening and it hurt to think about. He hated always feeling so helpless; having to make Tatsuki save him over and over again because he couldn't save himself. Koutarou wanted to cry out tears of frustration, but restrained himself as he didn't want to give these thugs the pleasure.

It was then that Koutarou noticed the leader approach him with the pocket knife. Now Koutarou really was scared. He had tried to escape again and again, but to no avail.

"You sure you should be doing this, Rukishi," asked one of the thugs that was holding Koutarou.

"Shut up, Kuruki!" yelled the leader, Rukishi.

Kuruki looked on worried, but he didn't want to piss off his leader anymore than he already had.

"Now look at the pretty little mousey. What are you, a girl or a boy? With a face like that it really is hard to tell," teased Rukishi.

"Shut up, asshole!" yelled out Koutarou, letting his temper get the best of him.

"Heh," said the leader, ignoring Koutarou's outburst. "Why don't we find out whether this blonde mousey is a girl or a boy?"

The other members of the gang were unsure whether they wanted to go through with this or not. It only seemed that Rukishi and his right hand man were interested.

"Stop squirming or I may accidently cut you," warned Rukishi as he brought the pocket knife against Koutarou's chest.

"Please stop," sobbed out Koutarou, memories of his previous school flooding his mind. He wanted to move, to run and escape, but there was no way he was leaving Tatsuki, and if he moved too much he knew the dirty blonde wouldn't hesitate to stab him.

Koutarou tried to stay as still as possible, trying to clear his face of the fear he felt, not wanting the thugs to be happier than they already were.

Rukishi took the knife and started cutting off the buttons from Koutarou's school shirt. One by one the clear plastic would fly in random directions when all that was left was an open shirt and Koutarou's bare chest.

The leader let out a victorious laugh at the sight.

"Guess the little girly mousey really is a boy," he chuckled out, his lackeys chiming in at the right time.

"Now maybe we should make sure the downstairs matches the upstairs."

At that, Koutarou started to struggle with earnest. Throughout his struggles he managed to accidentally head butt the leader on the head.

"You'll pay for that one pipsqueak!" yelled out Rukishi as he punched Koutarou in the face.

Koutarou's head snapped to one side with a resounding 'crack', and even Tatsuki winced.

* * *

Tatsuki hated that he wasn't able to do anything before, but now Rukishi and his gang were taking things too far.

Tatsuki could feel his emotions intensely. The urge to save Koutarou grew more and more and he was unable to contain it.

It was that primal instinct that was screaming at him, telling him to get up and protect the one thing he had left.

Koutarou was all he ever cared about in his life and he was damned if he was going to let some punk-ass nobody take him away.

Tatsuki let his rage and desperation take over. He felt a bit otherworldly. He could feel himself climbing to his feet, but it also felt as if someone else was controlling his body. All he could think about was that he had to help Koutarou, and no one was going to get in his way.

The already dim lights in the deserted parking lot began to flicker on and off. Tatsuki could feel his power surging within him.

The thugs finally noticed what was going on and were surprised to see Tatsuki standing and giving them the meanest look they had ever seen.

"Got up for more, kitty?" jeered Rukishi.

The other boys were a little more frightened, but tried not to show it.

"Well, I don't have time to play with you right now. I'm a little busy with your boyfriend," said the leader as he reached for Koutarou.

Koutarou looked on at Tatsuki in awe, but also in desperation. He knew that Tatsuki was the only person that could help him right now.

Koutarou knew that he had seen that look on his cousin before, as images of Koutari and Tatsuki fighting began emerging in his mind. He now remembered exactly what his cousin was really capable of and had to thank god or someone that he never really got on his cousins' bad side – Tatsuki was one scary person.

"Leave him alone," said Tatsuki with a deadly voice as he stared at Rukishi.

"What are you going to do about it?" replied the leader, not seeing Tatsuki as a threat and turning his attention back to Koutarou. He reached for him again, grabbing the waistband of his pants.

Tatsuki didn't say another word. He concentrated his power into a push, letting his emotions course through him.

The lights in the parking lot exploded, the glass falling to the floor in shards.

Rukishi and his right-hand man were the only ones that were thrown. They landed in a large heap, their limbs intertwined.

The two other goons who were holding Koutarou captive immediately let him go. They ran off into the darkness before Tatsuki could do anything to them. As soon as his arms were free Koutarou ran toward Tatsuki, catching his cousin before he could hit the floor once more. Looked like using his power drained what remained of his energy.

Tatsuki could feel a warm hand around his back and another pressed against his chest, clearly holding him up. He tried to squirm away, not wanting to be so near Koutarou after using his power. He just wanted to crawl into his bed and hide for the night. He felt too raw and exposed and he needed some time to gather his walls back up.

"It's okay, Tatsuki, I got you," whispered Koutarou as he held onto his larger cousin. Koutarou's eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated. Koutarou could feel a warmth climbing through his veins. He concentrated harder, willing the energy to heal Tatsuki. A soft, white glow was the only sign that something happened.

Tatsuki continued to try and squirm away but he was weak after the fight. He could slowly feel his pain ebb away as Koutarou's power filled him. It was a warmth unlike any other. If he was poetic he would compare it to floating on the clouds on a warm summer day. His wounds began to heal and he could finally stand on his own. Once strong enough, Tatsuki pushed away from Koutarou, wanting to be away from his cousin and his confusing feelings. He hadn't felt that safe in a long time and a part of him wanted to be wrapped in Koutarou's arms forever. He had to escape those kinds of thoughts; there was something wrong with him and he vowed he would not drag Koutarou into it.

Sweet, innocent Koutarou who had a really nice girlfriend and friends, and other people who cared about him and there was no way that Tatsuki was going to be the one responsible for taking all that away.

"Enough, let's go," gruffly commanded Tatsuki, making his way to his bike. Rukishi and the other thug were still passed out on the pavement.

Koutarou spared them a glance before running to get the grocery bags.

He hated that Tatsuki was so ungrateful. Couldn't he at least say 'thank you' for healing him? But no, of course not – Tatsuki never really gave thanks for anything. Koutarou decided to keep his mouth shut this one time. It was a rough and crazy night for them both and he just wanted to go to sleep. Even having dinner seemed unappetizing.

Once storing the bags away, Koutarou climbed atop of the bike, clutching his torn shirt close to his chest. The night had gotten cold, and his thin uniform shirt just wasn't keeping him warm.

Tatsuki glanced back at his silent and shivering cousin. With a sigh Tatsuki got off his bike, took of his jacket and threw it at Koutarou.

Koutarou just blinked at the material in confusion before slipping it on.

"Thanks," he softly muttered. Tatsuki just let out a faint huff that could have been interpreted as anything.

He didn't want to think about that the only reason he had given Koutarou his jacket was that he was a little too excited to have Koutarou's bare chest firmly against his back. He really needed to get back home.

* * *

_**Sometime later…**_

"Ugh, my head," groaned out Rukishi as he untangled himself from his friend. 'What just happened?' he thought to himself as climbed to his feet.

The parking lot was deserted aside from him and Taro. Finally steady on his feet, Rukishi looked around. He spotted his favorite pocket knife on the floor where he was about to get started on that kid. Went he bent down to pick it up there was something else there. He shifted the hard plastic card until he could read it from the light of the moon. It read "Oohira, Koutarou – Kaisei Academy******". With a grunt, he pocketed the ID.

As he thought about the evening the only thing that he could make out is that those two punks did something that knocked him out. Something freaky…

And he was going to pay them back.

_TBC_

* * *

_A/N: **Forgot the name of their school. I will change it when I get the chance. Thanks for reading!_


End file.
